


shake that shack in and out

by Lovelywik



Series: dumb voltron oneshots [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Established Relationship, Fluff and Humor, Gay Disaster Shiro (Voltron), Humor, Kissing, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-17
Updated: 2018-11-17
Packaged: 2019-08-20 13:43:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16556852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lovelywik/pseuds/Lovelywik
Summary: Keith is a In-n-Out only kind of person, his boyfriend works at Shake Shack. Nothing can go wrong, right?





	shake that shack in and out

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fairen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fairen/gifts).



> Disclaimer, I am Canadian and only had In-n-Out once ever (and was fairly disappointed tbh).
> 
> This one is for Meagan, a Californian who keeps telling me In-n-Out is good, but won't accept the fact that it may be Good but it’s not That Great.

Burgers are one of the best fast foods ever invented, as Keith has told Shiro multiple times. Unfortunately for Shiro, Keith only likes to eat from In and Out.

There isn’t a huge problem with this per se, except for the fact that Shiro works part-time with, quote-unquote, “ _the enemy_ ”. And well, Shiro hasn’t exactly told Keith about it yet.

It wasn’t that he had been trying to hide it. He’s originally had only been going work study at his school, assigned to work in the writing center where he mostly helped students with their essays, but he still needed some extra cash to pay for groceries and gas so he got the job at Shake Shack.

Working in the fast food industry along with working at school and studying _for_ school kind of sucked. The customers could sometimes be so awful, cleaning up after messy inconsiderate people who left their garbage on the tables, and just the general aspect of working in fast food? Not so great. But it was a job, and Shiro didn’t half-ass anything. He worked just as hard at the restaurant as he did in the writing center. At least he enjoyed the people he worked with. A workplace is only as good as its workers, as his Grandfather used to tell him.

He had been working at Shake Shack for about a year now, the best perk about working there was being able to bring food home afterward. Things changed though when he had started dating Keith.

It had been during the middle of the winter semester, sometime in spring when the weather was just a little on the cooler side. Shiro had been in the library working on his thesis, soullessly reading through the comments Professor Slav had left when a young man with dark longish hair had asked if he could sit in the seat across from on the table since all the other ones were occupied.

Dark long hair boy was absolutely breathtaking, dark blue eyes that almost looked purple, scar across his cheek that just screamed delinquent, which was usually not his type but damn this guy was real dashing. It had taken him a few seconds to reply and Shiro being the gentleman that he was, said sure. It was no big deal to share a table.

But it was indeed a big deal because all he proceeded to do after the boy sat across from him was to peek up at the handsome lad every chance he got. This was a boy he would love to ask out, but god he was so busy. The more he stared at the boy instead of working on his thesis, the busier he was going to be later. Shiro liked to think he had been subtle with his checking out, but he most definitely was not.

“Why do you keep looking at me?” the boy interrupted Shiro’s thoughts, glaring at Shiro from across the table. Shiro blinked, and his mind went blank from embarrassment, and he started mentally hitting his head on a wall.

“Staring? I’m not staring,” he lied.

“Yes, you are. It’s distracting.”

Shiro’s face grew warm at the accusation. “I wasn’t staring… It’s just that…”

He was for some reason (boy reasons), tongue-tied, unable to get his thoughts out properly. This was not how he had expected his afternoon to go.

The boy frowned, “Do you want me to go?”

“No no no,” Shiro stammered, face red, crossing his forearms together to make an X and shaking his hands. “It’s not that at all.”

The boys' brows drew together in confusion. “You sure? I can find another place to study if I’m troubling you.”

“No, stay!” Shiro blurted out, and his face grew ten times redder. “You’re really cute if anything _you’re_ the one who was distracting.”

The boy blinked.

A second. Two seconds. Shiro started gathering all his things on the table into his bag. “You know what, I’m just— I’ll see myself out.”

“Wait.”

Shiro immediately stopped his panicked cleaning, quickly glancing back at the boy who had closed his own books, dark purplish eyes staring intently at him, pink lips curved into a small smile.

“My name is Keith. What’s your name?”

And that was that. Shiro couldn’t believe Keith was interested in him with how he had been acting, but boy had he been so relieved and happy things had turned out well. They exchanged numbers, texting one another almost every day. Once midterms were over, they had gone on their first date to Universal Studios the weekend after. They had gone on a few rides, visiting the Hogwarts section to try butterbeer, and then had mostly hung out at the Citywalk sharing a huge cup of boba.

“Let’s go get some food,” Keith said while they walked toward the parking lot.

“Here or someplace else?”

Keith pursed his lips in thought.

“What about Shake Shack?” Shiro supplied, because hell yeah he could get them free food.

“Shake Shack?!” Keith choked, stopping in his tracks, “ _Shake Shack_?”

Shiro looked around, taken aback by Keith’s outburst. “Uh… What’s wrong with Shake Shack?”

“ _Everything_. If we’re having burgers we’re going to In-n-Out.”

Shiro was speechless at that and had been completely uncertain of what else to say at the moment but to agree and head to In-n-Out. He should have told him then and there that he worked at Shake Shack and could get them free food. But he honestly didn’t know how to bring it up with how insulted Keith had sounded at the suggestion of going there. So he didn’t. And while in the car driving toward the restaurant, listening to Keith rattle on about how much he loved In-n-Out, had proceeded to swear to himself that he was not going to let Keith find out he worked at Shake Shack under any circumstance.

He started hiding his uniform in the depths of his closet so Keith wouldn’t see it and when he brought food back home from work, he made sure there were no labels that could be seen on the bags he used.

So maybe he _had_ been trying to hide it, it hadn’t been that big of a deal. He had initially planned to tell him a few weeks later, but then a few weeks became a month, and a month into two months. It also wasn’t that hard to hide his affiliation with Shake Shack, they only had burgers every once in a while. But hiding the truth could only last so long.

 

* * *

 

Keith didn’t fully grasp the scenario at first. He was standing near the back of the line, head buzzing yet blank at the same time. It felt like his brain was getting tossed through a blender on high. It also felt like it was short circuiting with this new information, completely unable to process what it learned.

His boyfriend works at Shake Shack. And, not gonna lie, it kind of feels like he betrayed his Brand.

Shiro had told him way back when they first met that he worked part-time at a restaurant to help pay for school, and it hadn’t occurred to him to ask _where_ he worked. That was entirely his own fault. But to find out that he worked at Shake Shack while waiting in line with Lance? It felt like an utter betrayal. He can practically hear Lance thinking beside him, _F_.

In-n-Out was his go-to place for greasy food. A burger from there along with fries with animal sauce can make his mood go from sour to absolutely elated. Perhaps it has to do with the memories made at this place. Going to In-n-Out after school with his dad on Fridays while they waited for mom to finish work so they could all head home together had been their special thing, and in a sense, made In-n-Out a special thing. In-n-Out was and continued to be special though because they _always_ served amazing burgers.

Though, Lance (his kind of enemy/best friend/roommate) constantly argued otherwise.

“In-n-Out’s sauce is absolute garbage,” Lance would say.

“You don’t know what a true burger tastes like,” Keith would retort.

“You know what else is garbage? Your face.”

Lance, being the East Coaster from New York that he is, preferred Shake Shack. Though Keith had a preference for In-n-Out, he didn’t see the need to try other places to really compare it to. Their burgers were good and that was that. After many many stupid fights like this, Lance had finally convinced him to actually try it. _Maybe you can grow to appreciate burgers from all walks of life_. He mostly agreed just so he could get Lance to shut the fuck up about it. And in all honesty, really just went along with the notion that Shake Shack was the competition and to be avoided at all costs because everyone he knew seemed to have that opinion and that’s just how it was.

But to find out along with Lance that _Shiro_ worked at Shake Shack kind of reignited the notion within his heart. Shiro was no longer just his boyfriend, he was a Shake Shack spy who had infiltrated his happy In-n-Out going life.

Shiro had yet to notice them, but they were inching closer and closer toward the register and was bound to notice them soon.

“I can’t believe your boyfriend works at Shake Shack, one point already in for Lancey Lance,  _hell_ yeah,” Lance snickered.

“Shut up,” Keith grumbled, his resolve slightly faltering as he stares at Shiro’s beautiful smiling face from behind the customers ahead of them. As they continue to approach, Keith stays quiet, eyes locked on Shiro. He wondered, why did Shiro never say anything about working here? Working at Shake Shack _should_ have come up at one point, right?

They’re next in line and once the customers in front of them move to the side with their numbered buzzers, Shiro finally sees them. There’s a moment of absolute stillness as their eyes meet, the customers disappear, the background music stops, the sizzle of meat being grilled muffled. But the moment is quickly broken as Shiro tilts his head and gave them a sheepish smile.

They stepped up toward the register, and Shiro chuckled nervously. “Hi guys, what can I get for you?”

Keith frowned. “My boyfriend back.”

“Oh damn,” Lance covered his mouth to muffle a laugh.

“You’re not the real Shiro. You must be a clone, right?”

Shiro straightened his back, face composed. He brings his prosthetic hand up and covered his name tag. “Yeah, uh, my name is actually Kuron. I don’t know this Shiro you speak of.”

“Well Kuron,” Lance clapped his hands together, “We are here to order some Good Food.”

“Actually,” Keith interjected, “ _Lance_ is here to order some _Decent_ food, not me.”

Lance’s jaw dropped, “ _Excuse_ me?”

“Yeah, you heard me.”

“Guys,” Not-Shiro said, “Please don’t start a fight right now.”

Keith looked to Shiro and then back to Lance, and his mushed brain suddenly regained higher function once again, brewing the bestest plan. He wasn’t going to give into Shake Shack just yet. “You order something. I’ll be back.”

He gives Shiro a wicked smile before turning around and heading out the door.

 

* * *

 

Shiro can’t quite believe this was happening. It made sense of course, that Keith would eventually find out, but it never occurred to him that Keith would _walk out_ after the revelation. He thought they were going to have some playful banter and then Keith would order something, and once he was done his shift, they would talk about it. _It_ being the burgers, and how Shiro was working for the “enemy” was kept a secret.

Keith had left with a smile though, and that’s what makes Shiro feel off kilter.

He takes Lance’s order, who seems just as confused with what was happening. He gives him his order number and buzzer.

“I’m off in an hour,” Shiro told Lance. “Can you text Keith that for me?”

“Sure thing, bud,” Lance said, pulling out his phone. “I’m sure things are okay. Keith’s not really upset that you work here.”

It sure seemed that way, but Shiro keeps his mouth shut.

He goes through the motions of taking orders in a blurred daze. He inputted orders without mistake, but his smiles are strained and he can’t quite keep focused. He hopes Keith will let him explain everything.

Once his shift is done he goes to the back, changing out of his work shirt and stuffing his hat into his gym bag. Keith hasn’t come back yet, but he checks his phone to see a text from Keith telling him to wait there. Kinkade offers him some fries which he takes with him on his way out of the kitchen.

Shiro finds Lance sitting by a booth table near the back. He sits with him, nervously tapping his fingers along the table.

“Where do you think he went?” Lance asked with his mouth full of fries.

“No clue.”

“How come you never told him you worked here? Also, how is it that _I_ never knew you worked here? I come here all the time with Allura.”

“I only work here twice a week.” Shiro said “Also, you’re loud. Whenever I was here and I would hear you come in, I’d duck into the back.”

“Well shit, you got me there,” Lance laughed, and his tone suddenly goes soft and serious. “But if you were hiding the fact you worked here I could have helped you keep it a secret. If I had known I probably wouldn’t have dragged Keith here, I could’ve brought him to like, the one in Hollywood.”

“I mean, it’s not that big of a deal, or at least it wasn’t supposed to be,” Shiro sighed, running a hand through his hair. “The first time I brought up Shake Shack Keith sounded so offended, I didn’t want to bring it up ever again since then.”

“I’m sure.”

Shiro’s phone chimes with a text from Keith.  _I’m here_.

“He’s back,” Shiro said as he looks up from his phone toward the glass doors where a slightly disgruntled looking Keith barged through the entrance, two paper bags in his arms.

Shiro waved him over and as Keith drew closer Lance choked on the burger in his mouth. Keith slid into the seat beside Shiro, placing the bags on the table.

“You’re kidding me,” Lance said once his throat was clear of food, looking at his friend in disbelief. “You left us to go to _In-n-Out_?”

“I’m not eating from here.”

“You said you would!” Lance points to the beautiful untouched burger on the tray in front of them. “I saved this for you!”

Keith crossed his arms, looking from Lance to Shiro. “I changed my mind.”

Lance mirrors Keith. “We made a bet.”

“It’s free real estate.”

“Are you seriously using memes on me, the meme _king_?”

Keith made a face, reaching into his In-n-Out bag, “You’re not meme king if anyone is its Pidge.”

Lance grumbled, leaning back with a pout, “I guess.”

Keith unwrapped his burger, taking a large bite with a pleased hum. Lance and Shiro just stare at him, not exactly in disbelief but he  _was_ eating In-n-Out at a Shake Shack like it was no big deal.

Which it really wasn’t, but with how he had reacted and with the burger Lance got for his sitting right there in front of them, it kind of feels like one.

Shiro can’t help but wonder, “Do you really hate Shake Shack that much?”

Keith stops mid-chew, tilting his head to look at Shiro. “No, I don’t hate it.”

“He’s never even tried it before,” Lance said waving his hands over the untouched burger on the tray, “Which is why we came here in the first place.”

Keith bared his teeth, lettuce sticking out, and continues eating the burger he bought, emphasizing each bite.

Shiro shook his head, “I’m confused, so if you don’t hate Shake Shack, why make such a big deal about it?”

“Why were you hiding the fact you work for the enemy?”

“I wasn’t hiding it,” Shiro said slowly, looking away.

His boyfriend’s eyebrows narrowed, “You expect me to believe that?”

“Spill the deets, Shiro,” Lance said, looking at him expectantly, hands clasped together pointed toward him. “How could you possibly break Keith’s In-n-Out loving heart?”

Shiro pursed his lips, still looking away.

Keith puts his half-eaten burger down, “Come on Shiro, how long have you been working for the enemy?”

There’s a moment of silence, Shiro refusing to back down easily but once he glances back at his boyfriend, relents with a defeated sigh with the expectant look Keith gives him. “Since before we met.”

Lance bursts into laughter, wiping away a tear from his eye. “You’ve been fraternizing with the ‘enemy’ for eight months.”

“I can’t believe you never told me,” Keith said with a slight pout.

“I was going to bring it up… eventually. You seemed to have a very strong opinion about Shake Shack when I first mentioned it and I just— I avoided ever talking about it since.” Shiro hid his face in his hands, his whole face flushed red. Keith turned in his seat toward his boyfriend, taking one of his hands from his face and wove his fingers through them. “Sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable about sharing it, I don’t actually consider Shake Shack the enemy.”

His face was still hidden behind his other hand, but he peeked through his fingers to look at Keith, who was giving him that soft sweet smile that always made him melt on the inside.

“You know what, I can see you guys need some one on one time so I’m gonna take my leave,” Lance interrupted, his friends barely glanced his way as he packed his stuff, slinging his bag over his shoulder. “Adiós.”

“Bye,” They both said absentmindedly.

Keith took Shiro’s other hand, now with a full view of his blushing face. “Look, I didn’t mean any harm by leaving to get In-n-Out. It was kind of more like a joke I guess? I guess I was a little, um, salty.”

“It’s okay, I got that,” Shiro laughed, squeezing Keith’s hands.

“I just made a lot of memories at In-n-Out with my family, that’s why I love it so much. I don’t have anything against this place. Or you for working here.”

“Really?”

“I do feel like you betrayed me in some way,” Keith confessed, giving a small chuckle. “But I love you, and you working at a burger place other than In-n-Out is not that big of a deal.”

Shiro kissed Keith on the cheek, “I’m so glad.”

Keith smiles and Shiro can’t help but kiss him again but this time on the mouth.

“I got you In-n-Out,” Keith points to the other bag he brought with him, “We can eat it at your place.”

Shiro glanced at the untouched Shackburger and then back to Keith. “We’ll leave once you actually try the burger.”

Keith frowned, eyes narrowing. “No.”

“Fine,” Shiro nodded his head in understanding. “We can go, but I’m not kissing you until you try it.”

He watched as Keith’s jaw dropped. “No!”

“Weren’t you the one who said burgers are the best food ever invented? The only way you can test your thesis is by having tried burgers from other places.”

“I’ve had burgers from other places.”

“Then try this one!”

“ _Noooo_.”

“Please?” Shiro looked at him with puppy dog eyes, bringing his hands together pleadingly, Keith’s fingers still tangled together with his own. Keith sighed and nods his head, he can’t keep his resolve when it comes to Shiro.

“Okay. but let’s finish the food at your place.”

Shiro smiled brightly, beginning to pack everything into the In-n-Out takeout bags.

“I’m doing it because I love you,” Keith said. This was a new memory to share regarding In-n-Out but this time it was also with Shake Shack. Shiro couldn’t wait to hear Keith’s thoughts on the food. If he liked it or if he ended up disliking it, that would be fine, because, in the end, they were simply burgers. What mattered most was the memories being made, and this.

Shiro kissed Keith once again, “I love you too.”

  


**Author's Note:**

> feel free to talk to me on twitter [@deeremo](https://twitter.com/deeremo) or on tumblr [@lancemclaen](http://lancemclaen.tumblr.com)!


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